Can Bloomberg News Cover Michael Bloomberg Impartially?

When the media gets you feeling down about about unfair and partial coverage of certain things over others, think of the honorable Kathy Kiely. This journalist resigned from Bloomberg News today over concerns that the news organization won’t aggressively cover its owner, Michael Bloomberg, who is considering an independent run for president. The news organization has a long-standing rule protecting its owner from coverage that could be considered too aggressive. Via Huffington Post:

“I did not feel we could cover the Bloomberg trial balloon in the aggressive way I thought it deserved,” Kiely told HuffPost.

“I think there are a lot of good people at Bloomberg making an honest effort to work this out,” she said. “I just feel very strongly that the rules of the game should be the same for everybody.”

Bloomberg News has long placed restrictions on its coverage of its owner, a former mayor of New York City, barring reporters from writing about his personal life and wealth. The news organization’s coverage of Bloomberg was scant this past weekend following a report in The New York Times that he was weighing a run.

So, remember Kiely, who would probably not have done this if Bloomberg hadn’t been a Republican mayor of New York City. While Bloomberg may not be the most conservative of Republicans, he ran and won elections as one, so he is totally fair game. A principled stand like this will also make her a bit more desirable to other news organizations who would love someone like Kiely.

Am I being a bit unfair? Possibly. But, history has shown us the typical behavior of the modern-era journalist and what it takes to be big in the business. Can Bloomberg News be impartial with their coverage of their owner? Doubtful. Will Kiely be lauded as a brave soul willing to stand up for the principles of journalism? You betcha.